little this, little that...

Time Out!

2010-03-06T10:37:00.000-08:00

I know I've been silent for a while now. Honestly, after getting laid off I didn't think I had anything worth writing about.

Things are great now! I've found my dream job, having fun with life, at the gym a ton, and planning a trip to Alaska with my husband and his family!!

For now, I am going to focus on those things.... I am still blogging however at work. Please follow me there as I get creative with weddings:

www.chicagostyleunveiled.com/thelounge

Fun Foto Friday

2009-10-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

Awww! Happy Friday.

Fun Foto Friday

2009-10-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

My favorite part is the party hat he has on his shell. hehe.

cold feet?

2009-09-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

I don't know if everyone's seen this commercial yet. If not, take a look... I laugh every time I watch.

Seriously, one of the best commercial's of all time!

Fun Foto Friday

2009-09-18T08:05:00.000-07:00

Can you find the Kitty?

Weekend Update

2009-09-14T15:40:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a while since I've updated my blog. Haven't felt the motivation to really. And honestly, not a lot is going on to blog about.

It's been a while since we've had a really exciting weekend. All of our "disposable" income is gone now that I've lost my job. There's no happy ending to that situ either... I'm hoping this will end soon and I can get back to work.

This weekend was pretty fun though. Friday night we made a delicious dinner and headed to Boarders for a coffee and a good read. It's always a fun and cheep way to get out and have a date night.

Saturday we woke up, fired our motorcycles and went for a nice 3 hour ride to Mt. Rainier.

We stopped 1/2 through to fill up and grab some lunch. It just so happened that the town we stopped in was having an old car show. The downtown streets were lined with old, restored cars. We walked around and gazed at the handiwork of the owners who were proudly sitting alongside their cars watching as onlookers who gawked at their prized possessions.

one of many street lined cars

We found this little sports bar called Mint along the main street of the downtown. We stopped in for a quick lunch before heading off again on our bikes. The food was absolutely delicious!! We weren't expecting much from a small town sports bar. We were just blown away at the quality of the food.

Aaron got a blue cheese burger. So tender and juicy and the bun was to die for. I ordered a Cobb salad. The ingredients were so yummy and so moist that I barely touched the salad dressing.

After lunch, we hopped on our bikes for another 1.5 hours until we finally hit Mt. Rainer National Park. There were so many different hiking trails and camping sites that it made me excited to come back for a more extended stay next time. Perhaps I'd even agree to camp!

This was an absolute beautiful drive with long winding roads. It was very fun on a bike. We stopped at the peak of Sunset trail. When we got off the bikes, this was our view:

The pictures above were pretty much a 360 degree view. Just breath taking! It took us another 3 hours to go back home. Our butts were SO sore after such a long ride but it was a blast.

Sunday was church as always. Afterwards I went to a girlfriends house for her wine and cheese party. It was a great time and nice to see some friends who I haven't seen in a while. When I came home, A was making some amazing football food: sliders and potato wedges and a salad make 100% from his garden. We ate, drank our beer, and watched My Boys beat one of their biggest rivals. It was an excellent game!

GO PACK GO!!

Fun Foto Friday

2009-09-11T07:45:00.000-07:00

Have a great weekend.

Fun Foto Friday

2009-09-04T07:31:00.000-07:00

hehe.. TGIF!

Fun Foto Friday

2009-08-28T06:11:00.000-07:00

This is Yours Truly, on her first birthday.

Happy Birthday to me! Lets the party begin! :)

two words....

2009-08-21T20:43:00.000-07:00

i'm ashamed :(

Fun Foto Friday

2009-08-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

such a cool ad. TGIF

Dear Brett,

2009-08-19T11:20:00.001-07:00

Look, I know we had our falling out when you went to the Jets last year. Thanks for being patient with me and waiting for me to come around to the new idea of seeing you in a different shade of green. All had been forgiven and although I did not agree with your decision at the time, I supported you because it was what you needed and wanted. Love sometimes is about helping someone achieve their hopes and dreams.

However, now things have gotten ridiculous, nay OBSCENE! You've broken my trust, tainted my love and YOU, mr. favre have BROKEN my heart for the last time. All those nights talking to me about your retirement and assuring me "it's over this time, for real" we're all LIES. You have ruined your credibility and trust in your fans, and worse.... in me.

I think of you as joke and as hard as it is for me to say this.... WE ARE THROUGH! No amount of touchdown throws can win my heart back. You are nothing but a big pass interception to me now.

Sure, I'll see you occasionally from a distance and probably have to wipe a tear away from my cheek as I remember all the good times we had together. But i'm doing this for me. You are no longer good for me.

I'm moving on.....

Thats right, #4 is dead to me.... #9 is my new love!

ps. you're going to look like a fairy in purple. Looking forward to the day Lambeau Field boo's you.

Fun Foto Friday

2009-08-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

TGIF

Weekend Project

2009-08-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting booksleves for a while now... They are pretty expensive to buy and we didn't need really nice ones, yet the ones from Ikea look really cheap and we haven't had any luck with the Ikea furniture durability. It's been on our list for over a year for A to build some bookshelves, but it keeps getting bumped down on our priority list.

Even since we've moved to Seattle, our poor books have been suck in boring brown boxes never seeing the light of day. If we'd occasionally need a book or DVD and have to dig through tons of boxes never quite knowing what was in which box.

Eventually, they ended up looking a little something like this:

Yeah, not pretty. So this weekend, A FINALLY built me some bookshelves. He did a fantastic job! I had a blast unloading all the books, organizing them into categories and putting them where they rightfully should have been years ago!

And yes, I alphabetized my DVD's. I'm O.C.D like that.

Making Jam

2009-08-08T11:23:00.001-07:00

I had bought a batch of Apricots at Costco but didn't take the time to check them all for their firmness. They were really soft and squishy... not that they had gone bad, but no one like soft and squishy apricots. So, the economical thing to do was make jam.

We started by halfing the apricots:

Then we added some sugar and water to heat to melt the sugar:

Once the sugar was melted, we added the apricots:

Then covered them with the melted sugar:

We let it sit, stirring occasionally:

We waited about 30 minutes, or until the apricots stated breaking down naturally. At this point, we added a little bit of lemon juice and some non sugar pectin to give it a jelly consistency:

We sterilized the jars and lids in boiling water:

Added the jam to the serialized jars:

And VOLIA! Home made apricot jam:

I can't wait until all the blackberries get ripe so we can make blackberry jam next.

Fun Foto Friday

2009-08-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

lol, cats can be so weird sometimes... Enjoy your weekend :)

Who Needs Kids?

2009-08-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

What's Up Doc?

2009-08-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

Woah Carrots! This is the outcome of our first carrot harvest from our garden. They are so yummy!!!

And yes, i'm a dork. A leaves the green stems on so when I eat the carrots, I can be like Bugs Bunny....

Fun Foto Friday

2009-07-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

Our blueberry bush...

We're averaging about 2lbs of blueberries a week. Soon the blackberries will be ripe. mmm..

Heat Wave - Day 3

2009-07-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

Ick, day 2 was pretty bad but A and I sheltered ourselves from the heat by going out for sushi and doing a little shopping. Sleeping wasn't too bad as the fans kept us cooled down.

Today is the worst yet....

Mind you... NO AC. I went out to lunch with a girlfriend and then we went to the movie theatre (sooo chilly there, i love it!) I'm home for about an hour until A gets home and then we are going to bunker down at a coffee shop until they kick us out.

The cats are just fine. I thought they'd have it rough but they aren't even phased by the heat. It surprises me especially because it's 97 degrees IN the house. I just make sure they have cold water to drink and I got them a little fan to keep them cooler.

One more day of this, then back to weather in the 80's.

Interview Outfit

2009-07-28T10:06:00.000-07:00

What do they call it? The Power of Persuasion? At any rate, I needed an interview outfit for ALL the interviews I will be getting in the future. One could hope right? ;)

Please don't mind the hair and glasses.

Well, what do you think? Do I look like a professional Project Manager?

Heat Wave - Day 1

2009-07-27T21:07:00.000-07:00

Most Seattlites don't have air conditioners in their homes because it doesn't really get that hot here in the summer. There's always an exception however. One week out of the year it gets H-O-T! This week is the week and boy am I sweating.

Wednesday is supposed to be the worst. :(

The temp reading in my house around 4pm.

pretty in pink

2009-07-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

I'm lovin' my new shoes....

Aren't they the cutiest? They remind me of ballerina shoes but with heels. They're sooo comfy too.

More fresh (and free) flowers

2009-07-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

My peach rose

These are called Chocolate Cosmo's because they smell just like chocolate.

Fun Foto Friday

2009-07-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

A much needed weekend, I'm sure! Enjoy and relax :)

Tutorial: How To..

2009-07-19T21:29:00.000-07:00

...spruce up your guest bedroom for under $100. We start with the "before"; blank white walls. B-O-R-I-N-G!!

I went to Bed Bath & Beyond and found some great floating shelves for only $30 but sprinkle in a 20% off coupon and they drop down to $24.00. But wait, upon further examination, found a small scratch on one of the shelves (that can easily be covered up with a cute accessory - no one will ever know...shhh!). Good negotiation skills + batting eye lashes = and extra 10% off making your grand total for 5 shelves only $21.00!!

Then I just mixed in a few odd and end accessories that were collecting dust in the back of a closet and VOILA! you have instant decor to make any guest room feel more like home!

The accessory choice does need a little rearranging and perhaps replacing but for now it will do.

For the 3rd wall, I went to a local craft store that has some lovely frames. It just so happened to be my day when the frames I wanted were Buy 1 Get 1 Free, making them only $5 a frame! (a savings of $40)

Luckily I still had last years poster, so I choose 8 pictures that I liked, cut them up, stuck them in a frame, and hung them on the wall.
So there you have it, a little bedroom face lift coming in around $60.

My next project is a headboard for above the bed. Time to think crafty.

Edible Landscape

2009-07-17T21:11:00.001-07:00

That's what "they" call it now-a-days anyway. Basically landscape that provides substance for you and your family. It's the newest range.

Our neighbors have this. As they drive up their driveway you see beautiful greenery and bushes. But in actuality, they are fruit and veggie trees/plants.

They are gone for a new weeks and BEGGED us to come by and pick their strawberries and blueberries because they would just go to waste. Who were we to complain?!

We went over tonight, picked what was ripe and left the rest. 1.5 LBS later.....

We're gonna have some GOOD EATS! Thanks Neighbors!! :)

Fun Foto Friday

2009-07-17T08:04:00.000-07:00

Enjoy the weekend!

My Kind of Town

2009-07-16T15:18:00.000-07:00

It's official! A and I are going to be able to make it to Chicago after all! We weren't sure with my layoff, but things have a way of working themselves out, and finding cheap airfare doesn't hurt either! :)

I wanted sooo badly to spend my birthday this year with my friends and family. What a better way than to ring the big 2-7 with those whom you love the most. (side note: does that make me in my late 20's now? geez!)

So, those of you from my kind of town, mark your calenders: August 25-September 1.

I've also caught wind from a certain husband and a certain bff that there may be a little get together (read: birthday celebration!) on the eve of August 28. So... free up your calenders and GET EXCITED!! ;)

Closet Makeover

2009-07-13T18:38:00.000-07:00

Spring cleaning hit us a little late this year, but we keep a pretty tidy house so it wasn't much of a problem.

Saturday A caught the "cleaning and organizing" bug. Who was I to discourage that? I got home from the gym and he was in his office with the 'tunes cranked and garbage bags being filled by the minute. I took the opportunity to tackle a project i've been wanting to work on for a while... the linen closet.

Mom... don't look! (lol)

BEFORE:

I know, what a disgrace! That's what happens over time when things just get thrown in and the door is left closed. I am ashamed that the closet even got this bad but it happens.

AFTER:

Ahhh, sweet relief! What a difference! Everything in it's place; old, unused things thrown away; and all the extra room I seemed to have acquired!

Just amazing what an hour of your Saturday makes.

next up... guest room makeover addition.

Free and Fresh!

2009-07-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

Look at the beautiful flowers my husband brought me yesterday. They are from our flower beds outside.

Yay for free and fresh flowers!

Fun Foto Friday

2009-07-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

YAY! It's the weekend! Enjoy every moment :)

Evian Ad

2009-07-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

Has anyone seen this commercial?

I'm not sure what to think about it. Kinda creepy? Impressive? Cute? What do you think

Fun with numbers

2009-07-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

It's officially 12:34:56 on 7/08/09

GET EXCITED!

Trained Kitteh

2009-07-07T11:34:00.000-07:00

I thought this would be a fun video to share. And I thought I had my cats trained...

Fun Foto Friday

2009-07-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

Because this is one of my favorite holidays, I couldn't just pick one! :)

Enjoy your 4th!

Organizing the Cellar

2009-07-02T16:53:00.000-07:00

When we got home from Wine Country, we were excited to put all our bottles away. However, there really wasn't any rhyme or reason to how they were arranged so A and I decided to get little more organized.

We first took all the wine out of the cellar and started labeling them. We went online to find the prices and the wineries that they came from. We also did a little research into when was a good time to drink the wines or if we should let them age a little. A snapped a pic of me in all my glory surrounded by all my little liquid loves!

Each wine now has a label looking like the one of the left. The first line is the winery (or person) that we got it from, followed by when we received it, the price and and time range in which we should drink it.

We then arranged the wine back in the cellar according to drinkability time. I also added little colored stars to the tops of the bottle to indicate price range. This way I can gauge really quick of I want to grab an expensive or cheap bottle.

I know, I should be all techno-geek and have an excel spreadsheet and track this all on my computer, but I'm so O.C.D. that I would need to always print off fresh copies and our printer is currently out of order due to the price of ink. So, the old fashioned way will work just fine for now.

The Cellar BEFORE

The Cellar AFTER

Wine Celler Bottle Count: 66!

Washington Wine Country - Day 5

2009-06-29T16:38:00.000-07:00

We got up, packed our things and hit the road. We had 3 wineries left to hit before we headed out of town so we got our pallets ready and headed out. The first winery was pretty good. It was a friendly husband-wife-and friend team who were the wine makers. The second winery was in an old school house (left) and had pretty good wines. The last one in town was fantastic and their wines make it to my top favorites.

We stopped in Prosser, WA about 80 miles west of Walla Walla. We went to several wineries and again, found some FANTASTIC wines. One of which was Willow Crest Winery which after tasting their wines, immediately was tied for #1 in my favorite WA Wineries. We ended up buying a mixed case from them. What I love about this winery is that A. their wines are incredible and B. they are affordable. I don't have to spend $50 on one bottle to enjoy their wines. I really appreciate that about them.

The rest of the ride home was beautiful but uneventful. I'm glad to be home, but I would definitely like to go back sometime soon!

I'll leave you with some pics of the drive home:

Wine Bottle Count: 31 + 2 for gifts

Washington Wine Country - Day 4

2009-06-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

We hit 8 more wineries today! I found THE BEST winery in the entire area

(imo), Five Star Cellars. I was semi familiar with the winery as I bought a bottle of their Cab Sauv a few years ago as a Christmas present for my Dad. Their wines are a bit pricey but every wine I tasted today just knocked my socks off. I would have loved to buy a mixed case but then I'd be poor. :P I did however walk away with a 2007 Malbec.

We had a nice picnic lunch today in a local park with some nice picnic staples from Salumiere Cesario. We sat under a tree and watched about 5 squirrels running from branch to branch. It was such a beautifully warm day with nice cloudless blue skies. We also visited a local coffee roastery. Their coffee's were so unique but very good, so we got two iced americano's and 2 bags of coffee for later. The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging around the pool and going for occasional dips to cool off.

There has been this poster I've been seeing around some of the wineries. It's a collection of a lot of wine labels from the wineries around here. I just LOVE it and have been looking on the internet for it but couldn't find it and no one was selling it... until today when I walked into one of the wineries and there was my poster on the wall with a price tag on it. I snatched up the LAST copy! Special thanks to my Mom and Dad who bought us this poster for our anniversary! :D

For dinner, we opted for healthy. Our bodies have been screaming at us for eating so unhealthy. We went to a local grocery store, got some lettuce, veggies and rotisserie chicken and had a little make shift salad in our suite. It was sooo good to eat veggies again! We spent the rest of the night watching the sunset and falling asleep to the movie Stripes.

We were really tired today and I felt very wonky. I'm not exercising near as much as I usually do and we have been eating wonderful but unhealthy foods. It all caught up to me today. Although I love it so much here, I am looking forward to going home tomorrow to get back on my schedule. And I miss my kitties!

Tomorrow we head to the local farmers market, hit up a few more wineries that we haven't visited yet, and head back home. Can't wait to drive through all that beauty again!

Wine Bottle Count: 15 +1 for a gift

Washington Wine Country - Day 3

2009-06-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

Another great day of wine tasting! We did much better today, hitting 8 wineries today! My favorites were the Cabernet Sauvignon's. I tasted so many fantastic ones and bought 2 that were 100%, one of which was rated a 91 by Wine Spectator. I also bought a great Claret wine. Really, just fantastic wines out here. Napa, eat your heart out.

Before we headed into town for lunch, we drove about 5 miles south so I could get my very first geocache in Oregon. It was a success... right next to a bull pen...fun!

We went to Merchants Delicatessen for lunch and each bought a sandwich. Very delicious. It was fun to sit outside in the middle of downtown and people watch during our lunch break.

After our day of wine tasting had ended, we came back to our suite, changed, and went for a bike ride. We came across a BMX bike path which was pretty extreme for being my first time on one of those. It was a blast. The bike ride was nice with beautiful scenery to look at.

We came back home, showered and left for dinner. All the locals have been raving about Saffron Mediterranean so we went there tonight for dinner....

**Begin Narration by A**

My first impression of the place was, it's small, and crowded. Our waitress, Launa, seated us. She was full of smiles and a great waitress.

We started off with the Mezze Plate of flatbread (which they are known for) and three spreads. The first was a fava bean and pea spread with garlic. It was awesome, and the best of the three. The second was a 'chunky hummus', basically chick peas with a tahini dressing, and the third was a dried date and walnut chutney. The flatbread itself was fantastic. Topped with olive oil and spices.

Michelle picked a nice bottle of wine. A 2006 Haciendo Don Ramon, Temperanillo Rioja.

For dinner I ordered a 'free form' rabbit lasagna. Michelle ordered the goat cheese gnocchi with walla walla sweet onion sausage. They were both ridiculous. Just fantastic. My lasagna was nothing like traditional lasagna. It was not tomato based, but rather mushroom and ricotta. Michelle's gnocchi was even better. Each gnocchi was filled with goat cheese, and the sausage was a perfect match.

For dessert our waitress told us their three offerings for tonight. First was a sampling of their in-house gelatos. Including a honeysuckle and a basil gelato. I have a dehabilitating love of gelato.. but, I had to pass. (I had great ice cream the night before). The second was a custard with a nut crust and strawberries. The last option was a flatbread topped with chocolate, cherries and vanilla ice cream. Launa told us the custard was her favorite, but the flatbread is what they were 'known around town for'. Tough decision. We talked it over and we decided.. that we couldn't decide. We asked Launa to pick for us. She brought us her favorite, the custard. It wasn't a traditional custard, there were no eggs in it. It was just like everything else.. ridiculously fantastic.

I must say though, my favorite part.. was my date. Sitting across from my beautiful wife, any meal would be amazing.

**End Narration by A**

Dinner was late and we didn't get home until 10pm, so we crawled into bed, watched the movie Bolt and drifted to sleep dreaming of little wine glasses dancing in our heads.

Cheers!

Wine Bottle Count: 12

Fun Foto Friday

2009-06-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

Wine is still a bit young I'm afraid! hehehe....

Washington Wine Country - Day 2

2009-06-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

We took our time waking up today enjoying the nice scenery and setting aside time to relax. Plus, there is something that seems so wrong with wine tasting at 10am.

We headed downtown Walla Walla to walk around, window shop, and pick up some lunch. We stopped off at Salumiere Cesario, a little gourmet grocery with everything! Gourmet meats, cheeses, breads, oils from all over the world, nuts, olives, wine, teas... you name it, it was there. We got a little $8 "lunch box" which included 1 oz emmenthaler cheese, .5 oz of their homemade salami, a demi baguette, and a small sampling of dried fruit and nut compote. Delicious!!!! Best lunch ever! We popped it in our cooler and headed off to our tastings.

We only made it to 5 wineries today. I was really disappointed at our lack of tastings. It's not that we didn't have the stamina to keep going, but my taste buds were just dying! You know the feeling you have about an hour after you've just burnt your tongue on some hot food? That's how my poor tongue feels, even now, 2 hours later. :( All the red wine will fry your taste buds I suppose.

Spring Valley Vineyard was our first stop. Wines were ok but very expensive. We got a great family history lesson of the 7 generations of wine makers. Very interesting and educational. Seven Hills Winery was our next stop. The wines were really really good, loved them all! We walked out with a refreshing Pinot Gris. Canoe Ridge Vineyard was next on the list. Also fantastic wines but managed to walk away with only a Malbec. We stopped off at Three Rivers Winery (pic on the left) where we enjoyed our "lunch box". The view was just breathtaking and we had the entire outdoor deck to ourselves to have a nice long lunch. We just stared in awe at the giant Blue Mountains and looked over at their private 3-hole golf course. The wines were ok, nothing that took me by surprise but definitely worth coming for the view, a little afternoon golf, and a fun gift shop. At this point our pallet was about finished so we ended our wine tasting at Reininger Winery where they had incredible wines. They had so many wines to taste that we only made it through half before I had to call it quits. It's never a good sign when all the wines start tasting the same. Darn all those tannic reds we had! At any rate, we headed out with a Sangiovese and promises to return once our taste buds had time to rest.

The rest of the afternoon included some little R&R. A took a nap, I blogged. Then we went out to the fresh salt water pool for a little dip and lounged on the chaise lounge chairs to replenish our Vitamin D.

For dinner, we chose to go to CreekTown Cafe. The restaurant uses all local ingredients; from their meats to cheeses and produce. The atmosphere is not as upscale as the food and prices reflect but once I got my food, I didn't even care! A got a King Crab Salad and I got a Strawberry Almond salad. Both pretty good. The crab on A's salad was mouthwatering; like butter! I choose the Roast Pheasant with Morel Mushrooms. No words... really, I just sat through my whole dinner shaking my head in disbelief! It was perfect, like I was eating a piece of Heaven. Seriously the BEST pheasant I've ever had. A had the Kobe Beef which was also very good. Both meals were packed with flavor, very juicy, and prepared like an upscale homemade meal. I would LOVE to pay another visit at this restaurant before we leave.

Anyone who knows A, knows he loves his sweets...especially ice cream! So after dinner we went and got ice cream cones and walked around downtown. Most of the shops were closed by now but there were still tons of people out walking and taking a leisurely bike ride around the town. Suddenly, something caught the corner of my eye. It was one of THE most BEAUTIFUL sunsets I have ever seen! Literally left me weak in the knees. We rushed back to the car to head West to see if we could get a better view. I will attempt to take a picture of the sunsets here to show you.; so many colors and you can see the horizon for MILES and MILES. *sigh* It was a great end to a fantastic day.

Wine Bottle Count: 6

Washington Wine Country - Bonus Material

2009-06-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

I failed to mention the gorgeous view we have right outside our suite. I wish the pictures did it justice.

literally walking out our front door...

the pool

more mountains and vineyards

the trellis of flowers right beside our door

A sitting on our chairs taking in the view

Washington Wine Country - Day 1

2009-06-25T09:06:00.000-07:00

The alarm went offf, and in the car we went! Can't think of a better way to celebrate another great year of marriage!

The scenery was just breathtaking! Before we crossed over the Cascade Mountains, there were full, lush green mountains everywhere. I couldn't help but to feel so small and insignificant against the giant landscape. We kept on truckin' up, through, and back down the mountains and as our ears finished popping from the decreasing elevation, we watched the entire landscape change before our eyes. The once green and lush mountains now were brown mou

ntains/giant rolling hills. The temperature went from a cool 68 degrees to an immediate 77 and rising. It was as if we were transformed to a different part of the country. It was still absolutely gorgeous scenery that made the long drive go by very quickly.

Before we knew it, we were seeing a sign welcoming us to Wine Country. We had arrived! We stopped at 4 wineries on the way to Walla Walla. It would have been more but the other ones I had mapped out were closed. Bonair Winery was our first stop. (pic on left) The grounds were absolutely beautiful! Rows and rows and rows of little grapes all perfectly labeled as to indicate the varietal of the grape and a pair of little fat vineyard ducks taking a nap by one of the ponds. Their wine was pretty good. I loved the Merlot and A loved the Cab but we declined the urge to buy anything. Next stop was Paradisos del Sol Winery. What a fun experience that was! The grounds were eclectically decorated with metal art, random signs, and a giant coy pond as we entered the tasting room. There was another couple already there ready to begin their tasting so we joined them. The tastings were accompanied with a food pairing which, if I don't say so myself, were paired to perfection! We were even given the recipes to all the side dishes. The last wine we tried was a Riesling that was paired with a toasted marshmallow. We all were given a little tea candle, a toothpick, and a mini marshmallow. We toasted the marshmallow over the little flame while the pourer explained the history and info about the wine. SO FUN! We walked out with a bottle of their Paradisos Red, a blend claiming to be the worlds best pizza wine. We shall see. :) We made a stop off at Portteus Winery. Nice wines, LOTS of tastings but nothing that knocked my socks off. Perhaps it was the wine pourer that turned us off... he was very strange. Our last winery of the day was Tucker Cellars Winery. Again great wines, but what really surprised me was some of their whites. Typically wines such as a Riesling and Gewurztraminer are really more like sugar water in my opinion but the sweeter wines at Tucker Cellars were wonderfully complex and surprisingly not overly sweet; just crisp and refreshing! We walked out with a Gewurztraminer and one called Indian Summer, a pinot noir rose. MMM!

An hour 1/2 drive southeast and we were at our suite. It is absolutely beautiful! I'll just show you pictures:

Walking through the door. On the end table they left us a bottle of wine!

bed, fireplace, Tv, DVD player...

Bathroom with a tray of goodies!

Shower/Tub Area

We freshened up and headed to our dinner at Whitehouse Crawford. It was a rustic elegant atmosphere with maybe 7 tables of people; not many people out eating upscale dinners on a Wednesday night. We started our dining experience with wine of course! ordering a bottle of wine from Cotes du Rhone in France. For dinner, A and I choose the same Pre Fixe menu. Our salad was a spring salad with wild greens from Oregon, edible flowers and some warm goat cheese on a toasted piece of rustic bread. Main course was grilled lamb loin with chickpeas and spinach. The lamb was cooked to perfection and just melted away in my mouth. Dessert was a twice baked chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and candied orange peel as a garnish. All in all a pretty nice meal. Nothing that knocked my socks off but then again, I'm a tough food critic. :)

After a long day we cam home, crashed, and are now ready to see what another day has in store for us! Stay Tuned!

Wine bottle count: 3

Happy Anniversary Baby!

2009-06-24T07:01:00.000-07:00

Three years ago today I married my best friend. Today, we are of to celebrate the blessed union in Washington Wine

Country. I'm so excited to have a peaceful and relaxing weekend with the one person I love more than anything...

A: Thank you for deciding to marry me three years ago. Thank you for letting me be my silly self and having so much patience at times. Thank you for challenging me and helping me grow into the person I want to become. Thank you for spoiling me rotten even though I don't deserve it. And thank you for choosing to love me every day and continuing to make our relationship grow stronger.

3 years down, 97 more to go! :)

not the childhood story you remember...

2009-06-22T10:11:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already heard, Tim Burton is at it again. He is teaming up with Johnny Depp to create a very unique and twisted version of Alice in Wonderland. The movie is set to premiere in March 2010.

New photo's have come out.... sends chils down my spine! I have VERY high hopes for this movie!

Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter

Anne Hathaway as The White Queen

Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen

The cosumes.. the make up... MAN! I can't WAIT!

Happy Fathers Day

2009-06-21T16:14:00.001-07:00

Dad, thank you for being my dad for almost 27 years. Thank you for your support, wisdom, and love throughout the years.

We wish we could be in Chicago with you to celebrate your day but we will be thinking of you today across the miles...

Love you so much!

"I want to be a producer" -the end.

2009-06-19T17:01:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't get the AM Radio Producer job. It came down to the fact that I just wasn't as qualified as others were. I feel sad because I don't have any other job prospects now. A and I decided that if I don't have a job or upcoming interviews by the time we got back from Walla Walla, that I would go back to the temp agency. I'm not looking forward to this because working for the temp agency is going to be a BIG pay cut. But, I can still be looking for jobs while i'm temping and who knows? Something amazing could come out of it.

All things happen for a reason, ya know? There's a greater plan other than my own.

Fun Foto Friday

2009-06-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

Euwww, I know, but you can't help but to laugh too.

Interview update...

2009-06-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

My 2nd interview went really well. I honestly don't think I could have done any better. They are going to give me a call on Friday to let me know either way if they want me to come back in. They started off with 40, narrowed it down to 10, and then will pick 3 of the 10 to come BACK in for a 3rd interview. If I don't get called back, I don't be too upset because I know I gave it my all! I'm proud of what I did! I'll keep you all updated.

In other news, 1 WEEK until we leave for WALLA WALLA! I can't even tell you how excited I am! I'm getting thirsty just thinking about all the wine I get to taste... mmm!

*sigh* beautiful isn't it?

Lets go Red Wings, lets go!

2009-06-13T12:04:00.000-07:00

In honor of the Detroit Red Wings playing in the Stanley Cup once again, I've decided to share a picture of me circa 1998, with the REAL Stanley Cup in Detroit. I stood in line with my cousins for a few hours just to take this picture. It was totally worth it though. The Wings won the Stanley Cup that night. It was an awesome experience.

They put up a good fight this year but fell just short. Oh well, here's to next year!

TGIFridays...

2009-06-12T14:18:00.001-07:00

Since it's friday, I thought i'd give you all a little treat:

Just print off the image and you and a special someone can have a discounted dinner. Consider it a date night on me!

Enjoy!

"I want to be a producer" pt.3

2009-06-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

The 2nd interview is Wednesday the 17th @ 11:30!!

Fun Foto Friday

2009-06-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

I know a lot of you have seen this before, but I still find it fascinating. It's a Helix Nebula calledThe Eye of God.

Happy Friday!

Sunflower Surprise

2009-06-11T15:24:00.000-07:00

A while back, my Mom sent A and I a pack of sunflower seeds for us to plant in our garden. I was so excited by the idea of having my own sunflowers. Unfortunately, when we opened the pack to plant, the seeds were all broken. A didn't have high hopes for the broken seeds, but I wanted to try anyways. Needless to say, they didn't grow in. I keep looking but nothing! :(

All this to say, something absolutely miraculous yesterday! Our sunflower actually grew... OVERNIGHT!

I know! Can you believe it? It went from a dirt patch to a full grown sunflower. And A swears he has no idea how this miracle happened! ;)

So now, as I do the dishes I get to look out my window and see my gorgeous little sunflower....

I'm happy! :D

"I want to be a producer" pt.2

2009-06-09T18:00:00.001-07:00

YAY! I got a second interview with the radio station. Who knew?! There were 40 people who went to the first interview and they narrowed it down to 10 people, including me.

To be honest, I'm REALLY excited and I think this would be an AMAZING job, however at the moment my concerns are outweighing my excitement. I'm really concerned about the hours... I'd have to be at the studio at 5am, run the show from 6-10am and some prep work following the show. If you know me, you know that I'm NOT a morning person at all. I don't wake up until at least 8:00am and that's REALLY REALLY early for me. I'm also concerned about the pay and vacation time. I don't think I'll be offered nearly as much as I was making when I worked for MS, and I'm pretty sure I'll only get 1 week of vacation vs. the 3 weeks I had. Not to mention that my insurance probably will not be awesome.

*le sigh*

I'm just taking one moment at a time. I could be worrying for no reason. I could not even get hired. I'm just really excited for the potential!

Do any of my readers happen to be or know radio people? I could use some advise or some confirmation on the pay and benefits!

As always, I'll keep ya'll updated!

For you, my BOTL

2009-06-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

Back in our 'ol collage days, there was a little show we used to watch together called American Idol. And there was a certain young man whom we were very found of.... Mr. Constantine Maroulis.

I'll never forget the night he was booted off. We sat there in utter shock while he sang his farewell song. The TV was then turned off and we just sat there silent, in blank stares. Then somehow the lights went off in our living room as we let out a dramatic cry... We were truly depressed and heartbroken.

I laugh every time I think of that scene. Last night especially brought back the memories as our boy performed on the Tony's last night.

So Brenna, in case you missed it... this blog post is for you!! Enjoy!

Fun Foto Friday

2009-06-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

Have a good weekend!

Set your Tivo's

2009-06-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year where glitter and sparkles are in the air, the theatre geeks squeal with excitement and the gays come out to play!

That's right! The 63rd Annual Tony Awards are this weekend and the wonderful Neil Patrick Harris is hosting. It'll be a can't miss night!

At the very least, you can just record the show and fast forward to the performances. (there will be at least 8 of them!) Those are worth watching as they are always just remarkable!

Date: Sunday, June 7th, 2009

Time: 8:00 pm EST

Channel: CBS

Some headliners include: Elton John, Dolly Parton, Liza Minnelli, the band Poison and many many more!

Are you excited yet...??

How to keep your cat entertained...

2009-06-04T15:38:00.000-07:00

It's getting hot in here....

2009-06-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

It has been SOOO hot here this week! Today reached 90 degrees and mind you, I have no AC. Many Seattleites don't own AC because historically there is no need for them. Seattle is a pretty temperate climate which is one of the reasons I love it here so much. In the summer, it typically ranges from 65-85 never really getting hotter than that. The surrounding mountains create a nice breeze for us as well. There is however one week in the summer where it reaches upwards of 100 degrees, so we deal for that week without AC and usually spend a lot of time that week in the pool and at the movie theatre.

So, it's pretty strange to me that it's hardly June and it's already hit 90 degrees. What does that mean for the rest of the summer? Am I going to need to buy a mini window AC unit? I sure hope not...

As I mentioned, it was REALLY hot today, so when A got home from work and asked what I wanted for dinner, All I could think of was popsicles or ice! lol. He really did one better though....

A whipped up some grilled chicken with a mango salsa. It was so good and refreshing, with just the right mix of sweet and spicy! He also made a mini cucumber salad with mint and feta cheese. It was served chilled which was so cool and refreshing. Lastly, finished off with some homemade flat bread!

I was so impressed, and the dinner was SO good, I spent half the time praising his food. I really couldn't get enough! mmm...

So, despite the brutal heat, here's to awesome husbands that good amazing food!

6.01.09

2009-06-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

June?? W-h-a-t? Can anyone else believe it's June already? It seems like it was only a few months ago, I was home for Christmas... and now it's JUNE?!

Where does time go? Really, cause i'd like to know....

Weekend Update

2009-06-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

Friday was upwards of 80 degrees. It was absolutely lovely out, a sun-goddess' dream! While A was at work, I mowed the lawn and ran some errands and stopped by our new favorite brewery to pick A up some beer that he's been longing for! We sat out on our deck for a nice relaxing late afternoon while A grilled up some burgers and we enjoyed our beer. We're loving our deck! What a great investment the patio furniture and decor was!

Saturday started off with an early start at some garage sales. A found a couple things that he liked like a fishing pole and a tool box. We then made our way to the local farmers market. It was small, nothing too special but the flowers there are like the ones at Pikes Place market. I got a whole huge bundle of beautiful flowers for $7! What a steal! We also bought some fresh eggs and fresh garlic and fresh spring onions. They are so aromatic! After a quick lunch, we jumped on the bikes and went for a nice 16.1 mile ride. It was so beautiful out and although the trails were a little busy, we made it from our house to down town Redmond. We took at break at REI and headed back home. Saturday night, we watched the Stanley Cup (go wings!) and City of Ember while we spent the night relaxing and recharging for tomorrow.

Nothing worth mentioning for Sunday. Just ended up doing a lot of nothing! We did however see the movie Benjamin Button. Wow, that movie knocked my socks off!! I mean, it was really_really_good! I don't know what else to say other than I will definitely be holding this move in high regard!

sings "I want to be a producer....."

2009-05-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

Well, not much luck on the job front so far. I wish I could write saying that the phone is ringing off the hook with offers, but alas... not the case.

A few weeks ago, I had applied to be a Morning Show Radio Producer for a local radio station. (random, I know!). I knocked it up to the fact that theatre and radio aren't all that different, and since I have so much experience in theatre that i'd be a good candidate! Ha! I guess it got someone's attention because I got a call on Friday asking if i could come in this week for a quick meet and greet. We'll see how that goes!

Other than that, no other job interviews. :( I really wish I could get an interview and job at either Microsoft or the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It's going to take some time I fear....

...but then again, who knows! I could be an AM Radio Producer! Personally, I don't think I stand a chance, but seriously, how hilarious would that be?

ps. PLEASE HELP! What does one wear to a meet and greet at a radio station? I HAVE NO CLUE!

Fun Foto Friday

2009-05-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

I've decided to introduce a new weekly header to my blog.

Fun Foto Friday will display some fun picture(s) that I've found or that others have sent during that week. Enjoy!

Top ten ways the Bible would be different if it were written by college students

2009-05-27T17:50:00.000-07:00

1. Last Supper would have been eaten the next morning - cold.

2. The Ten Commandments are actually only five, double-spaced, and written in a large font.

3. New edition every two years in order to limit reselling.

4. Forbidden fruit would have been eaten because it wasn't cafeteria food.

5. Paul's letter to the Romans becomes Paul's e-mail to abuse@romans.gov.

6. Reason Cain killed Abel: They were roommates.

7. The place where the end of the world occurs: Finals, not Armageddon.

8. Out go the mules, in come the mountain bikes.

9. Reason why Moses and followers walked in desert for 40 years: They didn't want to ask directions and look like freshmen.

10. Instead of God creating the world in six days and resting on the seventh, He would have put it off until the night before it was due and then pulled an all-nighter.

Weekend Update

2009-05-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

Jen was here this weekend and we had a great time! Saturday we picked her up from the airport and went straight to Seattle. We walked around the market for a bit and up the streets to window shop. It was great! We came home and A grilled out. He made some amazing chicken with some new spices he picked up downtown. He also made some grilled onions and asparagus. MMmmm!

Sunday we woke up and went to church after breakfast. My back was hurting pretty bad so A and Jen went for a quick bike ride while I iced my back and took some meds. We then went out and took Jen out for her very first Geocaching experience! She's a pro now! We hit 4 for 4! Dinner was out to our favorite sushi place and ate sushi til our bellies burst! We headed home for a movie and shesha night consisting of THE ROCKER and NIGHT AT THEMUSEUM.

Monday, we drove east and went hiking all day at Wallace Falls. It is absolutely beautiful there with huuuge water falls that just take your breathe away. When we came home, Jen and I played some cards while A made his famous pizza!!! We watched SLUMDOG MILLIONARE and went to bed for an early for a pre-sunrise trip to the airport.

Thanks for spending your memorial day weekend with us Jen! Come back anytime!!

I'll leave you with some pictures of our hike....

A view from the start of the trail

A hike at the bottom of a waterfall. See it above in the distance?

A stream from the tail of a waterfall

yay! We did it!

It could be worse

2009-05-22T14:22:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling really depressed lately. I've been having back problems that have been causing me a lot of pain. Because of this, my Chiropractor tells me to cool it on the work-outs this week. I've really been enjoying my workouts, seeing results, and feeling great! Not being able to work out for a whole week is going to be tough! In addition, this job loss is really hitting me hard. What's so wrong with me that my company had to let me go? Am I not a good worker? Do I not add value? Do they not see worth in what I do? I think it's this combo that has really gotten me down.

It's these times that I need to count my blessings and not give into the depression. For one, A still has a great job and is trying hard to succeed. (i'm so proud of him!) We dont have any debt, and in fact have a little bit of savings that we can use if times get tough. I have two beautiful furry children that show nothing but unconditional love! And my back problem is only temporary and hopefully I'll recover in no time!

As bad as things are right now, they COULD be a whole lot worse. We don't have to stand in line for food... We aren't going to lose our house and have to go live with our parents. I have an amazing husband who is still making good money who will be keeping up afloat until I can find work again. And at least i'm not pregnant with triplets! hah! In the grand scheme of things, we're doing ok!

I just needed to write that all out to give myself some perspective. :)

In other news, Jen is coming to visit this weekend... We're going to have a great time enjoying the beautiful Seattle weather and it'll be nice to have some family around! :)

Weekend Update

2009-05-18T11:11:00.001-07:00

It was a glorious weekend weather wise. The sun was out, the birds were singing, the sky was blue and A and I spend as much time outside as we possibly could.

Friday after A got home from work, we found that a new geocache was posted. We threw on our shoes, grabbed our GPS and headed towards the cache. It wasn’t long before some other local cachers joined us and soon, we had 6 people looking for it. For those of you who know anything about caching, it was a micro (maybe even a nano) that was a 5-star. This thing was evil and no one that day found it! We’ll be back though.

Afterwards, we went to a local brewery that just opened down the street about a month ago. It’s got our attention because the name of the brewery is called Black Raven. That’s the name of one of A’s businesses; Black Raven Enterprise. So naturally, we had to check it out. Since they are still new, they dont serve any food, and they still have a small selection of their beers, but the ones they do have are really good. We definitely found our favorite though; a Kristale Wheat Beer:

(from website) The Kristale is a filtered German style wheat beer [Kristallweizen] that is rarely produced in the US. Light in color and alcohol, the Kristale features subtle banana and clove components layered onto a flavorful wheat and pilsner malt base. This is our lightest style beer and perfect for

warmer weather. Who says you have to give up flavor to enjoy a lighter style beer? Not with the Kristale!

Mmmm, it was SOOO good! We’ll definitely be back! We bought some beer to go and came home and made some burgers. Beer and burgers… now there’s a meal my dietitian would approve of!! :P

Saturday A and I went bike riding on some trails nearby and happened to stop at a few geocaches along the way. We hit 5 for 5 that day! Later, we got dressed and went to this new area called The Landing. It’s this new area where they have restaurants and shopping. It’s pretty fun down there but still new. We had a snack at the wine bar; a glass of wine and some bruschetta. Doesn’t it look Delicious?

Sunday was another glorious day! We went downtown to the 5^th annual cheese festival. There were tents and tents of free cheese samples from all different vendors. It was soooo crowded as expected so we didn’t take a ton of cheese, but we had enough to satisfy our pallets. While down there, we also did 3 more cache’s. 8 found cache’s this weekend, not to shabby!

We came home and A planted some more things in his garden; strawberries, lettuce, onions, watermelon, and round 2 of the bell peppers and basil. We’re going to have some good eats this fall!!

Next weekend... JEN VISITS! We're looking forward to that! :)

FUNNIEST thing i've seen in a while...

2009-05-17T23:08:00.001-07:00

Now tell me, how hard did you laugh?

Happy Birthday Mom!

2009-05-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

Oh how I wish I could be in Chicago today with you to celebrate, drink some wine, and make you RELAX!! I really hope you are able to take some time for yourself and do what you WANT to do today instead of what you think needs to be done. That stuff can wait til tomorrow!!

In honor of your Birthday, here are 10 (out of thousands) reasons I love you:

1. You are one of the best shopping partners I've ever had!

2. You're always so put together and look great all the time, even if you're just running to the corner to pick up some eggs!

3. You and I make a great team together. If we were closer, we'd have a VERY successful business.

4. You have an amazing talent for always keeping your house SPOTLESS. How do you do it?!

5. Umm.. you STILL look like you're 40! Hope you passed that gene down to me!

6. You are unconditionally considerate, loving and helpful to people even if they don't always return the favor.

7. You're a great cook, always trying to serve your family healthy and nutritious food.

8. I love how you're a sun-goddess and always want to be outdoors.

9. You step outside your comfort zone and are trying to learn more about computers so you can keep up with your family

10. I love it when you take time for yourself. You don't do it NEARLY as much as you should, but when you do, it's wonderful!!

I love you SOOOO much! Have a blessed day!!

Deck before/after

2009-05-10T15:27:00.001-07:00

Our deck is finally complete! We're so excited with the results we can't wait another moment to share with you!

This is our ugly, boring deck before:

And this is the after:

I know!!! We are so pleased! The curtains are custom made by A's mom. She did a FANTASTIC job! They really make the space feel more comfortable. Our poor neighbors yelled over to us as we were putting them up, "I promise we're not spying on you!!" haha, we told them it's more for decor than privacy.

So, what do you think? Who's excited to come over and drink a glass of wine with us on our new outdoor space?

Happy Mothers Day

2009-05-10T11:21:00.001-07:00

Happy Mothers Day to my two favorite mothers!

Mom, you're a wonderful mother,
So gentle, yet so strong.
The many ways you show you care
Always make me feel I belong.

You're patient when I'm foolish;
You give guidance when I ask;
It seems you can do most anything;
You're the master of every task.

You're a dependable source of comfort;
You're my cushion when I fall.
You help in times of trouble;
You support me whenever I call.

I love you more than you know;
You have my total respect.
If I had my choice of mothers,
You'd be the one I'd select!

By Joanna Fuchs

I Love You! Hope you have a wonderful day filled with blessings and love!

Happy Birthday Astro!

2009-05-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to our little man! He's grown up sooo quickly!

from a little kitten...

playing with this 'oversized' toy...

to a full grown 2 year old kitty!

In honor of Astro's birthday, I've decided to stay home all day with him so we can play and have lots of belly rubs. (it's a joke, cause I dont have a job now so I stay home anyway!) :P but.. there were a lot of belly rubs involved!

Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast

2009-05-07T09:21:00.001-07:00

For those of you who wanted my recipe, you can find it on the bottom of this post: Cooking for my husband pt.1

Enjoy!

Job Less

2009-05-05T07:41:00.000-07:00

** UPDATE** Looks like I was one of those people let go today :( Funny what life throws at ya...

The rumors are true. Yesterday rumors were spread that TODAY, there would be another round of lay offs at Microsoft. This morning, as soon as I woke up, I checked my email and sure enough, an email from Steve Balmer.

There will be about 2,000 people who will walk into work this morning and their manager will come by and say "Can we talk?" :( I am so sad for all the people who have been affected by this economy.

I consider myself VERY blessed that A and I still have our jobs. We most likely will not be affected by these Microsoft layoffs, however, keep those who ARE affected in your prayers!

It's going to be another somber and dark day at Microsoft :(

Weekend Update

2009-05-03T19:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend was absolutely glorious!! Friday was perfectly sunny and got to the upwards of 80 degrees. A and I played hookie from work. (I'm starting to see a pattern of me not working on Fridays... hehehehe). I ran a bunch of errands while A got a little work done. Then we went to this amazing mexican restaurant in downtown Kirkland called Cactus. It's been featured by Rachel Ray and listed in many magazines and newspapers. That's not why we went, we went cause it's good. period.

Then, off to do some geocaching. We had a pretty successful day getting 3 of the 4 caches. We came home to do some more gardening (I pretty much just soaked in the sun). A planted bok choy, two different kinds of onions, rutabagas, two different kinds of beans, peas, cucumbers, dill, parsley and some chives. Yay for getting our garden started!!!

We ended Friday night with some home made pizza and a movie, Syriana.

Saturday we went fishing all day. The picture on the left is where we went. It was BEAUTIFUL! A caught 2 little perch fish, too small to keep. I didn't catch any but it was still a lot of fun!! It will definitely be part of our summer activities!

All that fishing made me hungry for some seafood so A made us a wonderful Salmon dinner as we watched Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Never seen it before- GREAT movie! I highly recommend it.

Saturday was also the day that my 2nd brother (kinda), Brian proposed to his gf! Contrats Bri!!

Sunday was a day of caching for me! 5 of 5 today! I ROCKED it! :D A stayed home to do some more garden stuff and cleaned out the garage. Then... we had a quick lunch and off to fish again! A and I both caught little trout this time! Once again, too little to keep :( We'll switch up our location next time in hopes to get some bigger fish to bring home and eat.

A and his little trout

Me and my trout. Looks bigger than it actually was. And yes, completely freaked out because it was flapping all around like... well... a fish out of water! :P

I can't believe it's real!

2009-04-30T18:33:00.000-07:00

My magazine article is OUT! It's so surreal to be looking at myself in a mag. EEEE! But I am very, VERY excited and proud of myself. I really hope my article will be able to inspire some people.

Without further ado:

To get a better look at the article and view the entire magazine, you can visit it HERE. It will open right up to the article. Don't forget to check the front over where my name is smack dab front and center. I'm also on pg. 6 in the table to contents.

Thanks for getting excited with me!!

HE'S HERE!

2009-04-30T16:13:00.001-07:00

Owen Jacob was born today at 6:39pm EST :D

He is a healthy little boy 6lbs, 14oz. Mom is doing great!

....More updates as they come in!!

CONGRATS Stacy and Jeff! You're going to make amazing parents!!

Rude Awakening

2009-04-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

This is the cutest thing!

a BANG'n idea...

2009-04-27T15:57:00.000-07:00

I've been toying with the idea of bangs for a while now. I love the way they look but i'm afraid of looking like a 12 year old. I was never sure how'd they look on me until I started playing on the internet. Here are some "celeb styles" that I got to try on:

Selena Gomez: thick and textured

Cameron Diaz: long and whispy

Camilla Belle: long and thin

note: my hair would be shorter than shown in the above picture

What do you think of me with bangs? Should I take the plunge or keep rockin the "pob?"

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

2009-04-27T13:12:00.001-07:00

Today is Starlit's 2nd birthday. She hasn't changed one bit!

Lil' Boo, just know your parents love you very much!

Sorry about the occasional baths. We do it for your own good!

We hope you have a wonderful day chasing invisible bugs, laying in the sun, tackling your brother, and walking around Kooing for no reason!

Happy Birthday Jess!

2009-04-25T10:23:00.001-07:00

In honor of your birthday, 10 things I absolutely love about you (in no particular order!)

1. Your faith in the Lord and your drive to grow closer with Him.

2. Your willingness to try new things and go on new adventures.

3. Your ability to give the BEST hugs EVER!

4. How your trying to really figure out yourself and always striving for self improvement.

5. Your love for travel.

6. Your beautiful songbird like voice that gives me chills every time you sing. Breathtaking!

7. Your laugh! It can make even the hardest heart soften. :)

8. Your love and loyalty to your family.

9. You make me feel so loved by ALWAYS giving me the words of affirmation that I need.

10. Your a wonderful friend! You genuinely care about people.

I hope you have a wonderful birthday filled with joy and blessings!

Cooking for my husband pt.2

2009-04-24T08:09:00.001-07:00

Week 2, dinner 2 of 4. If you recall, I decided to cook for my husband for the next four weeks, once a week.

Last night I decided to make a Cobb Salad. Nothing fancy, I know, but it's a lot of prep work getting all the ingredients together, and then some more work to make the salad look nice. Here is the finished salad:

Ingredients from left to right: butter lettuce underneath, avocado, almond crusted chicken breast, blue cheese, cucumbers, bacon, hard boiled egg and tomatoes.

I topped it all off with a lime vinaigrette. It was DELICIOUS and more importantly, A loved it!

I paired the salad with a white wine from The Magnificent Wine Co. They are a local winemaker in Walla Walla that we will be visiting in June who makes fantastic wines!

This wine is a chardonnay blend: 79% Chardonnay, 6% Muscat Caneli, 5% Pinot Grigio, 5% Gewurztaniner, and 5% Riesling. It was delicous!

I've got two more meals to prepare. Anyone have any suggestions or good receipes to share?!

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-22T07:39:00.001-07:00

Shaheen Jafargholi

2009-04-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen this yet, watch it! This little boy is so cute and a natural born performer. He's just AMAZING to watch!

Weekend Update

2009-04-20T10:49:00.001-07:00

Hey all! Hope you had a fabulous Weekend! Seattle had beautiful weather so we spent most of the weekend outdoors.

Thursday, although technically not weekend, started off my weekend. It was gorgeous out and A and I decided to work from home. He spent it outside prepping a new garden bed to plant my flowers. He also mowed the lawn, did some laundry and chopped a bunch of wood. (I know! What a blessed wife I am!) I had to go into work for a few hours to get some stuff done, then left to go home to find him outside working away. I chose to keep him company as he was finishing his garden bed. I brought out a blanket, my lap top and a magazine and soaked in the sun. Rough life I lead... :)

Friday I worked from home again. This time for real. Thursday evening I attended this very difficult workout class only to find I was the only one at that class that day. Therefore, it was more like a personal training secession and I got my BUTT KICKED!! So when I woke up Friday morning, I was exhausted and VERY sore. Staying home seemed like a good idea! But, I quickly recovered in just enough time to go to happy hour with a girlfriend.

Saturday A and I continued to work outside. We finished the new garden bed, prepped the other garden beds, built and installed trellises for the garden and cleaned out the garage. Then... we found out one of my cache's got MUGGLED! I guess some rebellious teens had a little pow-wow in the woods with beer and glow sticks, got high, found my cache somehow, and took almost all the contents. They even stole my travel bug. :'( I was SO heart broken! So, maybe this weekend I'll have to replant it somewhere else. Dumb drunkin'-high teens!

Sunday A planted some lettuce, onions carrots and spinach! YUMMM! I can't wait to have my own veggies on hand. We have a LOT more to plant, but it's still a little too early to pant the others. I went to one of my friend's baby shower. There were a TON of people there and she got so many gifts! I don't think she'll need to buy baby clothes for a looooong time! I won some beautiful potted flowers by correctly guessing the circumference of her belly. I got it SPOT ON! I guess I have a nack for that as I won the same game at Stacy's baby shower.

What did you do this weekend?

Photo Shoot

2009-04-15T18:44:00.000-07:00

If you remember a few months ago, I talked about being asked to be featured to be in a magazine. Well, my photo shoot was today and I think it went pretty well! I'm not going to lie, I was COMPLETELY nervous so I hope that didn't reflect in my pictures.

My photographer Gerald was very nice. I had a blast working with him. We met at a local park and took some shots of me hiking and running. I am really nervous how the running pictures turned out and not really sure which action shot they'll use. I guess it's going to be a surprise!

The issue will be out in just a few weeks! (May 1st) I'll also be online so I'll make sure to post a link for your viewing pleasure.

In the mean time, here's a little teaser of one of the running shots I did. See the photographer hiding behind the trees? :)

Cooking for my husband pt. 1

2009-04-14T20:32:00.000-07:00

The husband and I are on different schedules this month. Monday and Wed are the days where I get home late and Tuesday and Thursday are the days where A gets home late.

Tonight, I decided to bless my husband by cooking for him. I figured after a long day at work and a hard workout, he'd be tired and not want to cook. (for those of you who don't know, A is the cook in the family, and I clean up after the cook!) So, I made dinner tonight.

I decided to make a goat cheese stuffed breaded chicken breast with asparagus. It's actually quite a healthy meal.

This is what it ended up looking like. It was FANTASTIC if I don't say so myself! No offense to my wonderful husband but it was the BEST goat cheese stuffed chicken breast i've EVER had!

I have decided that i'm going to continue to bless him; once a week I will cook for him for a month. 3 more meals to cook. Stay tuned....

ps. as of now, the kitchen has NOT been cleaned. I wonder if he'll keep up his end of the "I cook, you clean" deal. We'll see... :)

Update: The kitchen was cleaned!! Yay for awesome husbands!

5/7/09: Here is the recipe:

Serves 2

Ingredients:

-2 boneless chicken breasts

For stuffing:

-2oz soft goat cheese

-1 tsp softened butter (optional)

-1 tsp freshly cut chives

-1 tsp minced parsley leaves

-1 tsp fresh thyme

-juice of 1/2 lemon

-1/2 tsp fresh garlic

-Salt and pepper to taste

-Secrete Ingredient= 2oz Compte Cheese (can be found in speciality cheese sections)

For Breading:

-1/3 cup egg whites or egg beaters

-1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs (regular bread crumbs works too, it's just not as good)

Directions:

Pre head oven to 425 degrees F

Cut a deep pocket on the thick side of the chicken, about 3/4 the way down. Be careful not to cut through the other side of the chicken.

In a small bowl, add all of the stuffing ingredients (except the Compte) and mix together. Divide batter in 1/2 and stuff chicken breast. Add the Compte cheese on top of batter. Close shut.

Dip both sides of chicken breast in egg batter, then Panko crumbs and place on baking sheet.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until completely cooked.

Serve with your favorite veggies! Enjoy! :)

Earthy Green

2009-04-14T14:03:00.000-07:00

Not really sure what the theme of this wedding board is. I'm gonna say earthy green. Enjoy!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T11:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you all have a great day :) The day started off by a trip from the easter bunny....

These are the goods that he left. Some popcorn with cute little popcorn bags, chocolate (of course), bagels for breakfast..mmmm!, a delicious soy latte, as well as some spring flowers to display in my home.

Close up of the flowers. I'm anxiously waiting for them to bloom! :)

Although the Easter Bunny did remember that we moved and managed to find our new house, A and I still had time to reflect on the REAL meaning of Easter. I am grateful that we worship and amazing God who not only keeps His promises, but also chose us even though we are completely undeserving of His love.

Hope you and your family had a wonderful Easter and had time to reflect on the real meaning of the day! :)

Extreme Body Makeover...

2009-04-10T00:08:00.000-07:00

A and I took this class last month called "Extreme Body Makeover." It met for 70 minutes, twice a week, for 4 weeks. It was a TOUGH class that kicked our butts each time. My sister can testify as to the difficulty of the class as she took it once with us when she came to visit. A quote from her: "When we were doing our ab work, I was praying the entire time i'd make it through the class." hehe...

We took measurements the first and last day of class to compare our results. In one month I lost....

- 2 lbs

- 1 inch off my thigh

- 1 inch of my waist

- 1 3/4 inches off my hips

- 1.3% of my body fat

Yeah, i'm pretty happy about that. However, I did manage to GAIN 3/4 an inch on my chest?! I wont be complaining about that though. I'm just happy because I'm back to where I was LAST June :)

So, what's next for me? While A will continue to take the Extreme Body Makeover class for another month, I have signed up for a "Performance Training" package. It consists of 4 different classes to choose from. What is unique is it's almost like having your own personal trainer because the classes can range from 1-5 people. Either way, I will receive some great 1:1 attention. In addition, I have full access to all their top of the line and strength training and cardio equipment which is sure to bring my workouts to the next level. cardio

The best thing about all this is: 1. It's a 6 month program which includes 6 dietitian appointments valued at $450. 2. I get this 100% free as one of the perks for being a mentor at the club. :)

Watch out American Gladiators! I'm coming for ya! ;)

I bought it!

2009-04-10T00:03:00.000-07:00

I bought Adam Lambert's studio version of Mad World from i-tunes. I highly suggest getting it. It's only $.99 and it's the full version of the song, not just the 1 minute cut he sang on the show. *SWOON!*

Wikipedia game: Five Clicks to Jesus

2009-04-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

I find myself bored sometimes, surfing the same webpages over and over. I recently discovered this fun Wikipedia game. It's called Five Clicks to Jesus. You don't have to use Jesus, you could do Kevin Bacon, President Obama, Oprah... whomever.

Directions for Play:
1. Go to Wikipedia
2. Click “Random Article” (in the box under the big ol’ Wiki puzzle logo)
3. Player has five (5) clicks to get from the random article to the article “Jesus”

I've gotten to Jesus (twice) in only 4 clicks.

Gissey Le Vieil > France > History of Christianity > Jesus

Marietta, Mississippi > Marriage > Early > Christianity > Jesus

**Warning, it's addictive! **

What were your results?

Mad World? More like MAD Viewers!

2009-04-07T21:48:00.001-07:00

As those of you who watch AI, you know that Adam Lamberts song got cut off. :( Of all the people to be cut off too...

For your convenience, I've posted it here:

I'm speechless.... WOWWWIEEE!!

Reward!

2009-04-07T20:43:00.000-07:00

8 straight hours, 1 small conference room, 4 strong Indian accents, 2 bosses watching, nay, critiquing.... 10 set of eyes on me all day!

Stress? Pressure? You betcha! I never thought this India training would be so grueling, intense, and exhausting.

Today marked my 1/2 point. Two more days! So, I decided to reward myself:

1. Nice long run in the gorgeous sunny weather we had. Gotta enjoy it while I can!

2. Beautifully smooth glass of Syrah

3. A fun-filled night of American Idol!

My reward for completing my training will be to have my husband home again!! :D Everyone say it with me: "Awwwwww!!!" :P

Side Note: I cannot believe I used the words "reward" and "run" in the same post! My how my life have changed! A Year and 1/2 ago, I could have substituted the run for a big ol' package of cookie dough! hehe.

R.I.P :(

2009-04-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon, A's grandfather passed away :( Although it was somewhat sudden, it was quick and painless. After church, he wasn't feeling to well and decided to lay down. He pass away soon after that in his sleep.

He was a believer and was sold out for the Lord. He is now with his Creator in peace and pain free.

The funeral will we this Wednesday. A is flying to Arkansas Tuesday. We have decided it would be best for me to stay home so I can continue with my India training. Plus last minute tickets we're more expensive than we had planned. :(

Please pray for A and his family, especially A's father.

Weekend Update

2009-04-04T17:53:00.000-07:00

Friday I worked from home. I had to sit and wait for our patio furniture to arrive. It arrived! - and looks awesome! I'll post before/after pictures soon. Friday night A and I stayed in and watched the 3rd Indiana Jones movie. (My FAV Indiana Jones movie!!) Sean Coney, who I am not a fan of at all, was AMAZING in that movie. Who knew the 3rd movie would be so funny? Did he win any awards for that movie? I sure hope so, maybe i'll look up....

Saturday we had a lazy morning, ran some errands, and then did some wine tasting with our friend cbro. Not that anyone cares about the specifics, but i'd like to have them in writing for my future reference.

Brian Carter - Great wine! We LOVE their Byzance - Southern France, Rhone-style blend. At $32 a bottle, it's a little pricey but delicious never the less.

Hollywood Hills- Very nice wines. I felt the bottles were a little overpriced for the quality but it was a pleasant tasting. (note to self: parents would like this one as there is a cute wine shop around the corner as well as a huge nick-nack store nearby as well.)

J Bookwalter- They had a $10 tasting fee refundable with purchase. The fee was a little high (most are $5) but they offered 7 tastings. All wines were good. I loved 2 of their cabs but not worth the $30+ price tag. We bought their Subplot No. 22. - 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 18% Malbec, 14% Cabernet Franc, 10% Syrah, 5% Petit Verdot.

Woodhouse Family Cellers- Always a favorite of ours. They were the ones that introduced us to a Malbec and it was love at first pour! They had just released their 2003 Malbec so we had to go try it. It's probably no surprise that we loved it and just had to take home a bottle and welcome it to the family :)

Silverlake- Huuuge winery and tasting room. It was a little confusing as they were offering several tastings. We read the different tasting options and decided on the Silverlake Reserve Tasting. The wines were not impressive and the staff was a little stand off-ish. I don't think we will be back here.

Matthew Cellers- We almost missed this tasting room on the way back home. It's almost in the middle of no where. Their wines were great, but I have to mention their 2005 Red Mountain Syrah. This wine brought tears to my eyes! I think it's the best wine i've ever drank thus far in my life. I was in LOVE! I was in awe that a Syrah so be so smooth and have such a long finish. It was beautifully and perfectly crafted as if the grapes were stolen out of Heaven. So, you want to hear that A bought me a case and we lived happily ever after, right? At a whopping $55 a bottle, I had to leave my new friend, with a saddened heart. How could I possibly justify spending $55 on this glorious work of art? I wouldn't want to open it.. I couldn't bare to drink it! So, if any billionaire friends or relatives are reading this, and you feel the need to blow $660 on a case of wine for me, by all means.... :D I'd gratefully and humbly accept your offer ;)

After wine tasting, we broke in our patio furniture with some cigars and some grill fired-pizza. Then watched the newest Indiana Jones movie that came out last year. A little too si-fi for my taste but interesting never the less.

Sunday was a GORG! 70 degrees. We did a lot of yard stuff outside with time left for me to soak in the sun. I got a little pink YAY!

Back to work on Monday.... I have 4 people coming in from India that I will be training all week. Its going to be a long week but great exposure for me. Hopefully all this hard work will get me a nice lil' promotion this fall! Here's to hoping!! :D

It's a Race!

2009-04-03T13:43:00.001-07:00

My family loves to Geocache. Actually, it's my Dad and I that are the hard core cachers. For those of you who don't know what geocaching is, it's basically an outdoor treasure hunt using coordinates. You can read more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geocaching

A component to caching is this thing called a Travel Bug (TB). It's a dog tag look alike usually attached to a trinket that are placed in the caches. When someone finds a cache, they have the option to pick up the travel bug and place it in another cache. The Travel Bugs usually have a mission, ie: travel from CA to NY or visit as many football stadiums as possible.

So why am I writing a post about this? My Dad and I both own caches. We have decided to get a travel bug and place it in our caches. The Mission? To race each other from our respective caches and be the first TB to reach the other person's cache.

This is my Travel Bug, Ducky. He has to migrate to his new home in Chicago.

This is my Dad's TB, Buzz Light Year. He's gotta make it all the way to Seattle.

We have some fun stakes associated with our race. Aside from HUUUUGE bragging rights, the loser will donate $25 to the winners local animal shelter/rescue.

We only have two rules: 1. no friends or family members may assist with moving the travel bug. 2. In order to "win" the travel bug must be placed in the other persons cache.

May the best TB win! Who will it be? Buzz or Ducky? I'll keep you updated! :)

We're booked!

2009-04-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

I had mentioned in a previous post that we're going to be celebrating our 3rd year anniversary in Walla Walla. Well, we booked our AMAZING hotel/inn last night!

We'll be staying at Walla Walla Inns at the Vineyard. It's a cute little place 10 minutes from down town Walla Walla, overlooking a huge vineyard. *sigh* It's going to be so peaceful and beautiful. Just look at the view!! :

Yes, that's a salt water pool! There are only 5 rooms total so it should be pretty private and peaceful.

Here is a excerpt from their website explaining our room:

The Mountain East Suite is situated in the northeast corner of the main house looking out at the vineyard and the foothills. This suite has it’s own private entry and outdoor sitting area. This suite has a King Size bed with pillow-top mattress and feather bed. The large room has a sitting area to enjoy the amazing sunrises or watch your flat screen television. The bathroom has a large shower/tub. The swimming pool is just around the other side of the house.

We'll be staying 4 nights/5 days. I'm SO excited!!

little this, little that...

Time Out!

Fun Foto Friday

Fun Foto Friday

cold feet?

Fun Foto Friday

Weekend Update

Fun Foto Friday

Fun Foto Friday

Fun Foto Friday

two words....

Fun Foto Friday

Dear Brett,

Fun Foto Friday

Weekend Project

Making Jam

Fun Foto Friday

Who Needs Kids?

What's Up Doc?

Fun Foto Friday

Heat Wave - Day 3

Interview Outfit

Heat Wave - Day 1

pretty in pink

More fresh (and free) flowers

Fun Foto Friday

Tutorial: How To..

Edible Landscape

Fun Foto Friday

My Kind of Town

Closet Makeover

Free and Fresh!

Fun Foto Friday

Evian Ad

Fun with numbers

Trained Kitteh

Fun Foto Friday

Organizing the Cellar

Washington Wine Country - Day 5

Washington Wine Country - Day 4

Washington Wine Country - Day 3

Fun Foto Friday

Washington Wine Country - Day 2

Washington Wine Country - Bonus Material

Washington Wine Country - Day 1

Happy Anniversary Baby!

not the childhood story you remember...

Happy Fathers Day

"I want to be a producer" -the end.

Fun Foto Friday

Interview update...

Lets go Red Wings, lets go!

TGIFridays...

"I want to be a producer" pt.3

Fun Foto Friday

Sunflower Surprise

"I want to be a producer" pt.2

For you, my BOTL

Fun Foto Friday

Set your Tivo's

How to keep your cat entertained...

It's getting hot in here....

6.01.09

Weekend Update

*sings* "I want to be a producer....."

Fun Foto Friday

Top ten ways the Bible would be different if it were written by college students

Weekend Update

It could be worse

Weekend Update

FUNNIEST thing i've seen in a while...

Happy Birthday Mom!

Deck before/after

Happy Mothers Day

Happy Birthday Astro!

Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast

Job Less

Weekend Update

I can't believe it's real!

HE'S HERE!

sings "I want to be a producer....."